In the Embrace of Abba— Part II.

“My son,’ the Father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours’” {Lk. 15:31}.  The Greek word Jesus uses here is teknon, an affectionate form of address from a father to his— literally translated— child: “my child.”

This final exchange leaves no doubt as to the tenderness of the father’s heart.  He is a man of incredible generosity, a man of grace and compassion, he is a man of great strength, and now we see, of great tenderness.  Those two qualities go hand in hand, by the way {and were always meant to}: great tenderness and great strength.  The harsh words of the elder son are met with neither judgment nor condemnation; his bitter reproach is not exchanged for another.  There is no recrimination nor accusation, no shame, guilt-tripping, or emotional manipulation.  None of the psychological weapons we routinely employ to control, maneuver, and manipulate the lives of those around us.  The father doesn’t defend himself because there is nothing to defend; he doesn’t even comment on his older son’s behavior.  He moves beyond it with the glorious ease of grace, beyond all evaluations and into the realm of relationship.  “You are always with me” are words of intimacy, of tenderhearted affection.

The father’s unqualified love and unconditional compassion eliminate all possibility that the younger son is more loved than the older.  Take courage and take hope, all you elder sons and daughters, for Abba say’s, “Everything I have is yours.”  The Father has given us everything, and held nothing back.  Paul said in Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  There is no clearer statement of the Father’s unlimited love for all His Children.  It is offered equally, generously, fully and unreservedly to both his Sons and Daughters, older and younger, whichever one you are.

In v. 32 the words of the Faithful Father to the self-righteous elder son are, “But we had to celebrate and be glad,” we had to celebrate and “rejoice” {NAS}.  “We were compelled to....  Don’t you see?  There was no other option.”  Luke, skillful writer that he is, expresses this as a necessity in the father’s heart: that the joy of his son’s return justifies a celebration and the lavishness of the feast.  And why?  “Because this brother of yours....”  Notice his Father returns him to the proper perspective: not “this son of mine,” but “this brother of yours.”  He brings it back to the relational realm.  Whether the older brother likes it or not, that relationship will never cease.  “This brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

The father goes out to his elder son just as he did the Prodigal and urges him, pleads with him, to come in, to rejoice in the Return, to celebrate his brother’s safety… alive and home again, back where he belongs.  He calls him to the deeply-seated joy, the divine passion of God Himself, over the son or daughter who runs headlong into the open arms of grace.

He “was dead and is alive again;” He “was lost and has been found.”  Isn’t this an accurate statement about all of us: we once were “dead” and are “alive again,” we once were “lost” {and more than once} and now are “found”?  Found, rescued, and redeemed by the same gracious God, the same loving and merciful Father.  How many times have we been there— in our own lives and our own lost-ness— how many times have we found ourselves in this condition: a Son of God in need of his Father’s tender touch, a daughter longing for the embrace of her Abba?  You see, this is the promise of following Jesus and the consequence of His Victory: restoration from a shattered condition ...fullness of Life, freedom of soul ...Love, Light, and joyous Celebration!  Forevermore.

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
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Heart’s Journey – Live Generously and Love Graciously